Once melted, gradually add milk and whisk together while continuing to heat.

Once the sauce reaches the consistency you desire, remove from heat and serve - adding hot sauce to taste.

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My boys were so impressed that I was able to make something that tasted so much like the canned fake cheese dip. But never fear – because this is made with real ingredients, it tastes much better than what comes out of a can.

Let’s take a vote: Who likes the cheese stuff that pours out of a can? Love it? Hate it? Don’t feel bad admitting that you like it. We all have our lingering non-food cravings (says the lady who still chooses Nacho Cheese Doritos when given the opportunity).

But speaking of Doritos and Velveeta (which we weren’t actually speaking of but hang with me here). If you want to avoid cheese from a can and cheese from a box – but you really love Nacho Cheese Dip – I have a recipe you are going to love!

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How’s the Getting Ahead {Snacks} Challenge going for you? I’m having a blast in the kitchen, but I can’t say I’m really getting ahead. We’re eating the food as fast as I make it. And by we, I mean my four boys. Okay fine, except for the Raspberry Oatmeal Bars. I took care of those very well without much help. {grins sheepishly}

You are going to love today’s idea! This one really did help me get ahead. I turned out so many pretzel bites, we ate on them all day, then I was able to stash some in the freezer too. This recipe is more time consuming than the other easy snack recipes I’ve shared. But trust me, these are worth the extra work! I didn’t stop and count how many pretzel bites this recipe makes (for obvious sanity reasons), but I would say this recipe would fill a two gallon ziplock bag and then some. Yep! You’ll get ahead with this recipe for sure!

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup warm water, yeast, and 2 teaspoons of honey. Stir this together and allow it to sit. Meanwhile, heat butter, milk, 1/2 cup honey, and salt in a medium saucepan on the stove until mixture has reached 120°. Stir contents in saucepan into the yeast mixture. Begin adding flour, two cups at a time until a nice dough has formed. Knead for 3-4 minutes. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow it to rise for 1-2 hours.

On a well floured surface, roll fistful sized balls of dough into “snakes.” Cut into one inch bites.

Place on a baking sheet or stone. No need to allow for rising time, but if they sit there a while, that’s okay too. Bake in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Place baked pretzel bites in a bowl, drizzle on some melted butter, toss until coated, then sprinkle sea salt and toss again. Serve warm, serve cold, or cool and freeze the bites in a freezer bag for up to three months. Thaw and reheat in the oven.
I experimented with a Nacho Cheese Dip for these pretzel bites. Check it out here!

Give me more dipping ideas for these soft pretzel bites!!

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

The recipe is a tiny bit more time consuming that some of my other baked goods, so I find that I don’t make my Homemade Soft Pretzels very often anymore. But now that the weather has cooled off, I’m excited to make these pretzels to go with a pot of soup. I guarantee my family will not argue with my idea.

Have you tried making Homemade Soft Pretzels? Give this recipe a try. They are SO delicious!

Pull a ball of dough, about the size of your fist off and get ready to make your very first pretzel!

Roll it into a long snake.

Twist the ends together, then twist it again (pictures below are helpful)

Pick up the ends and pull them down to the bottom.

After you shape each pretzel, put them on a cookie sheet about an inch apart.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan.

Right when you take the pretzels out of the oven, slather them with butter. Lay it on thick. Don't hold back.

Sprinkle salt over the buttered pretzels.

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(You can make these with white flour and white sugar if you want to have a delicious mound of empty calories…but I have found that using these healthier ingredients does not make us like these pretzels any less!)

Please make no snide remarks about my blueish, boney hands. It is always a little cold in my house and my hands are never quite warm AND I inherited my Nana’s boney hands and I know my Nana would have never allowed her hands to be put on a blog while she lovingly told you how to shape a pretzel because she was ashamed of her boney hands, but I’m okay with it. I’m not embarassed at all. Not one bit.

After all the pretzel twisting, it should look like this. If it doesn’t, just undo it and try again. By the time you get to the end of shaping your big blob of dough into pretzels, you’ll have the hang of it and be able to talk on the phone, make a grocery list, check your email, tie someone’s shoe AND shape a pretzel, ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

If at all possible, eat one right out of the oven. They are good two days later too, but OH MY GOODNESS, you HAVE to eat one right out of the oven!

With a glass of milk.

If you really want to have fun, shape some into hearts for Valentines Day!